National Mentoring Consortium mentoring scheme

This scheme is for undergraduate students from Black, Asian or Minority ethnic backgrounds. You will be linked with a mentor from a relevant professional background to gain support in achieving your personal development and career objectives. You will need to attend a minimum of 6 meetings (at least 12 hours in total) with your mentor and submit an end of scheme reflection to qualify for HEAR recognition.

Career Development Centre mentoring scheme

Mentoring for students across all academic disciplines, levels and backgrounds geared towards increasing confidence, enhancing employability and improving competitiveness in the graduate labour market.

The criteria for students to have the CDC Mentoring Scheme recorded on their HEAR is as follows:

Students who are matched in October or November are required to attend at least 6 mentoring sessions by May; students who are matched in December or January are required to attend at least 5 mentoring sessions by May and students who are matched in February, are required to attend at least 4 mentoring sessions by May.

Students are required to submit an end of scheme evaluating, reflecting on their personal development and overall experience of the scheme by the end of April.

eMentoring to BA Business Management Students (Westminster Business School)

eMentoring is an innovative scheme designed to help first year undergraduate students settle in at University. The scheme links up new students with final year students, who act as eMentors to the new students. It offers new students support from people who understand their perspective.

The scheme starts in October and runs for the academic year. Mentors are all properly trained. They offer practical advice, encouragement and reassurance. They are also aware of the various types of support the University offers, but most importantly, they know what it is like to be in the position of new students.

Participating in the scheme, provides students with an opportunity to develop the following skills:

Leadership and interpersonal skills along with personal development.

Increase career prospects by learning a life enhancing skill

Share their knowledge, skills, techniques and experience of university life

Offer support with patience and enthusiasm

Help their eMentees determine and achieve goals

Approach eMentees and communicate openly and non-judgementally by listening and understanding and responding appropriately.

Recognise that people have different needs and strengths.

Gain training about ethical issues related to eMentoring. The eMentoring agreement covers areas such as confidentiality, representing the organisation, inappropriate communications and behaviour.

Universities Business Challenge - UBC (Westminster Business School)

The UBC offers undergraduates within universities a unique opportunity to improve their knowledge of the business world, put theory into practice and develop their team-working, leadership and employability skills by participating in a team-based competitive challenge. The Challenge gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work as a board of directors in realistic, simulated companies, making all the critical business decisions that affect the company's performance.

Once groups of students have identified themselves as teams, they are supported through the competition by an academic in WBS (Karen Kufuor). Participation is recorded and verified by Bonita Danso, Senior Coordinator, Business Experience Team.

The opportunity to participate in this competition is offered by the Business Experience Team to all WBS students.

Students compete and run a series of realistic, simulated businesses:

There are 3 HEAR categories:

Round 1 – run online over the internet for 6 weeks. A minimum commitment of 10 hours is required.

Round 2 - Approximately 25% of teams from round 1 go through to the one-day regional semi-finals hosted by Employer Partners (e.g. IBM). A minimum commitment of 8 hours is required.

Round 3 - The top 10 teams go through to the Grand Final run live over one day in the third week of March hosted by the lead Employer Partner. A minimum commitment of 8 hours is required.

Students as Co-creators Research Projects

These are student-led research projects which focus on enhancing the learning environment as part of the University’s Learning Futures programme.

Teams are formed of two or three students and at least one academic partner. The students design the research question, carry out the research (this can include designing questionnaires, interviewing staff and organising focus groups), analyse their data and present the findings and recommendations to their Faculty.

There is a competitive selection process whereby students are asked to create a two minute video to support their submission to the selection panel. Two projects per faculty will be funded. Students access £300 research costs and a £300 bursary is awarded to the team on completion of a final evaluation report.

Placements

Where you have undertaken a placement that is related to your learning but is not given academic credit then you can apply to have this recorded on your HEAR.

There are two types of activity:

1. Work placement: students have completed a paid work placement that is relevant to their area of study or career progression. The placement must last a minimum of five days and must adhere to the national minimum wage legislation if over four week’s duration. The tasks carried out must be appropriate to the level of study and verification will be required from the employer.

2. Work experience: students have completed an unpaid work placement that is relevant to their area of study or career progression. The placement must last a minimum of five days and a maximum of six weeks full time (part-time is pro-rata). The tasks carried out must be appropriate to the level of study and verification will be required from the employer.